Napoleon Bonaparte, who is also known as the 'little Corsican', was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. His original name was Napoleone. He had 7 brothers and sisters and his original nationality was Corsican-Italian. He also despised the French and thought they were oppressors of his native land. His father was a lawyer, and was also anti-French. One reason Napoleon may have been such an excellent conqueror was that he was raised in a family of radicals. When Napoleon was nine, his dad sent him to a French military government school where he was constantly teased by the French students for he was small and physically weak. It is because of this that Napoleon is believed to have had dreams of personal glory and triumph (an intriguing foreshadow of what was to become of him!).

In 1784 to 1785 Napoleon attended the Ecole Militaire ('Military School') in Paris where he received his military training.

No Mans Land, Flanders Field, France, 1919 (LOC)

[Opera House staircase, Paris, France] (LOC)

Napoleon Crossing the Alps

He studied to be an artillery man and an officer and when he finished his training he joined the French army. At the time he was only 16 years old! Soon after that his father died and he was left with the responsibility of taking care of the huge Bonaparte family which is where he first learned how to handle a large crowd. Napoleon was stationed in Paris in 1792 and after the French monarchy was overthrown on August 10, 1792, Napoleon decided to make his move up in the ranks. After this, Napoleon started becoming a recognized officer.

In 1792 Napoleon was raised to the rank of captain. In 1793 he was chosen to direct the artillery against the siege in Toulon where he seized ground where he could get his guns in range of the British ships. Soon after that Toulon...

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"The Little Corsican", speaks of Napoleon Bonaparte and his political work. (1997, January 10). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 15:32, December 09, 2016, from http://www.writework.com/essay/little-corsican-speaks-napoleon-bonaparte-and-his-politica

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